MOLOA‘A — The Mighty Seed Learning Center launched their environmental education program with a field experience for nearly 100 North Shore students, ranging in age from kindergarten through high school, earlier this month. Students from Kaua‘i Christian Academy and Kanuikapono
MOLOA‘A — The Mighty Seed Learning Center launched their environmental education program with a field experience for nearly 100 North Shore students, ranging in age from kindergarten through high school, earlier this month.
Students from Kaua‘i Christian Academy and Kanuikapono Charter School visited the learning center located at Retro Farms, a nonprofit in Moloa‘a, where they designed and planted a pollinator garden of native plants, a news release states.
The schools were the first to participate in the Pollinators in Paradise program which includes a three lesson series conducted in the schools and a field trip, or field experience to plant a pollinator garden at Retro Farms, where the learning center is located.
The program was conducted by the environmental educator from the Mighty Seed Learning Center, Mary Ellen Houston, and incorporated lessons about plants and pollinators and the significance of pollination. The students were asked to design a pollinator garden that would be attractive to pollinators and composed of native plants, which ultimately provide a superior nectar source. The final lesson was the field experience at Retro Farms where the program participants put their new knowledge into action and spent the day planting their own pollinator garden.
The gardens are comprised of native’s plants including: a‘ali‘i, kokio ke‘oke‘o, ma‘o hau hele, ‘ilima papa, akia and ‘ulei. They will return for a follow-up visit in the spring and observe and tend to their gardens, the release states.
Community members and volunteers helped to make this a field experience that would leave a lasting impression about the importance of protecting pollinators, the need for planting native plants, and the fun of planting to improve the environment.
The students enjoyed the varied features of the farm which include a three-acre natural forest, two acres of open fields and tree farms of milo, mahogany and mango. They enjoyed some unstructured time where they were allowed to connect to nature in their own way.
They also met some of the friends of the farm including Chester the bee man from Kaua‘i Island Honey who stopped by to check on his hives. He showed the students how the honey is made on the combs within the hive. Students then enjoyed a taste of fresh honey on the comb.
This was a significant event because a major portion of the Pollinators in Paradise lessons is the importance of bees to producing most of our agricultural products. Yossi the mango man and a farm caretaker made a visit to the farm with his pet donkey that carried baskets filled with Polynesian apples which he dealt out to everyone. All in all it was two days of adventure, fun and learning, the release states.
Any youth groups or schools interested in participating in the 2011 program may contact the program director at retrofarms@gmail.com.
